Attachment for gas governors



March 6, 1934. F. P. SMITH ATTACHMENT FOR GAS GOVERNORS Filed Dec. 2, 1932 vluwll.

fiHJE/P/CKP SM/ 76; BY

Wk EY 'J ATTO Patented Mar. 6, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 5 Claims.

My invention relates to anew and useful attachment for gas governors, the same being an improvement upon the construction shown and claimed in my previous patents, Nos. 1,763,376 and 1,851,598.

In addition to the general purpose outlined in the patents referred to, my present invention contemplates the application of the novel attachment directly to the gas outlet leading from the governor to the conventional gas meter interposed between the source of supply and the point of consumption.

A further object of my invention is to produce an automatically self-sealing attachment which serves not only to provide an outlet for the relief of excess pressure but which also automatically reseals itself without further attention after the excess pressure is relieved.

A still further object of my invention is to produce an attachment which can be applied as a detachable unit to the governor proper or to the gas outlet leading from the governor and which may be made integral with said outlet or said governor at will.

With the above and other ends in view, my invention consists in various other novel features of construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 represents a vertical sectional view of a conventional gas governor provided with one form of my invention.

Figure 2 represents a view similar to Figure 1 showing another form of my invention.

Figure 3 represents a view similar to Figures 1 and 2 showing still another form of my invention.

Figure 4 represents a fragmentary sectional view at an angle to the section shown in Figure 3 showing details of construction.

Referring to the drawing in which like reference characters indicate like parts, my novel gas governor comprises a casing formed of the upper member 1 and the lower member 2, between the outer edges of which is clamped the diaphragm 3 dividing the casing into two compartments 4 and 5. The diaphragm 3 is preferably flexible and is provided with the bends 6 to permit of movement in accordance with the pressure developed within the governor. In the upper member 1 is provided the boss 7 which is threadedly engaged by the machined screw 8 which fits therein in an air tight manner and which bears upon the spring 9 which in turn bears against the upper disc or plate 10. By means of the spring 9 the tension on the upper plate 10 and hence upon the diaphragm 3 may be regulated as desired. Leading into the lower compartment 5 is a gas inlet 12 leading from the source of supply, which inlet is controlled by the valve 13 carried by the arm 14 fulcrumed at 15, the other end of the arm 14 being pivoted at 16 to the lower disc or plate 17 which bears against the under side of the diaphragm 3. The pressure of the spring 9 serves normally to retain the valve 13 open by pressing downwardly on the disc 17 and raising the valve 13 from its seat to permit the flow of gas through the inlet 12. When the pressure within the compartment 5 has reached a predetermined limit, the diaphragm 3 is raised against the pressure of the spring 9 which results in lowering the valve 13 to its seat and thus closing the inlet 12. The structure so far described is conventional. Communicating with the lower compartment 5 is the gas outlet 18 which leads to the point of consumption, with or without an intermediate gas meter not shown. The upper compartment .4 communicates with the atmosphere through the vent, or conduit 20 which in turn leads into the conduit 21 in the block 22, there being a transverse opening 23 leading from the conduit 21 into the outlet 24 which is always open to the atmosphere. From the outlet 18 another conduit 26 leads into the well or cup 25 which is normally sealed with mercury, and the top of which is threadedly engaged by the plug 27 which has the pendant annular sleeve 28 normally immersed in the mercury or other fluid 29 which fills the well 25 to about the level of the open ing 26. Under these conditions there is no communication from the outlet 18 to the atmosphere through the conduit 26 due to the seal of mercury or other liquid referred to. When the pressure in the tube 18 becomes excessive, due to leaking of the valve 13, the gas therein and in the conduit 26 ejects the mercury from the well 25 into the bottom of the vertical conduit 21. This results in opening the outlet 18 to the atmosphere through the well 25, the upper part of the conduit 21, the horizontal opening'23, and the air outlet 24. When this takes place, the mercury 29 displaced from the well 25 into the bottom of the conduit 21 seals the outlet 20 leading from the upper compartment 4 to the atmosphere, thus tending to maintain the diaphragm in its uppermost position due to the vacuum created therein, since the excess pressure of gas in the compartment 5 raises the diaphragm 3 into contact with the upper member 1, thereby expelling most of the air contained in the upper compartment 4. The raising and retention of the diaphragm 3 in its upper position results in closing the valve 13 and shutting off the supply of gas through the gas inlet 12. Any leakage through the valve 13 will pass into the atmosphere through the conduit 26, the well 25, the upper part of the opening 21, the horizontal opening 23, and the outlet 24. By this means all danger of explosion, due to accumulated pressure in the compartment 5 or the outlet 18, is entirely eliminated. When the defect has been remedied, the mercury is removed from the bottom of the conduit 21 and replaced in the well 25 again to seal the conduit 26 leading from the outlet 18 and to shut ofi communication from the outlet 18 to the atmosphere through the nozzle 24. The plug 27 ,is removable and so is the bottom plug 30 to z'facilitate the removal of the mercury from the bottom of the conduit '21.

"ment of the spring 9 by the threaded plug or screw 8.

In Figure 2, I have shown another form of the invention in which the conduit 26 leading from the outlet 18 communicates with the limb 32 of e a U-shaped passage, the other limb 33 of which the bottom of the U-shaped conduit formed of said limbs, as well as the bottom of the vertical opening 36 which leads to the atmosphere outlet 24. Under this condition there is no communication between the gas outlet 18 and the atmosphere outlet 24 and at the same time there is constant communication from the compartment 4 to the atmosphere outlet 24 through the outlet tube 20, the limb 35 and the vertical opening 40. when excess pressure is developed in the -outlet 18 and the communicating opening 26 the mercury is displaced from the limbs 32 and 33 of the U-shaped passage communicating with the outlet 18 into the limbs 34 and 35 and the vertical opening 40 of the U-shaped passage communicating with the outlet 20, it being understood that the mercury in the conduit 36 gradually flows into the bottom of the limbs 32 and 33 as more and more of the mercury therein is ejected so that free communication is established between the gas outlet 18 and the atmospheric outlet 24 through the conduit 26, the limb 32 and the conduit 36. The transfer of the mercury into the lower portions of the limbs 34 and 35 and the conduit 40 serves to seal the outlet 20 from communication with the atmosphere. The device operates in the manner herein described when the excess pressure in the gas outlet 18 is developed slowly or gradually and hence is the usual or prevailing condition. When, however, for an unknown reason the accumulation of the gas pressure is sudden so that a violent expulsion of the mercury takes place, some of the mercury may be ejected through one or both of the vertical openings 36 and 40 on to the inclined surfaces 41 and 42, such mercury flowing back on said inclined surfaces into one or both of the conduits 36 and 40, depending on the violence of the expulsion. Thus, if the expulsion is not very violent, the mercury which is expelled through the conduit 36 on to the inclined surfaces 41 rolls back into the conduit 36 again to seal the outlet 18 from the atmosphere in the event that the temporary expulsion of the mercury afforded the requisite relief of pressure. If such temporary expulsion is not suflicient,a slowly developed pressure will serve to eject the mercury into the limbs 34 and 35, as above set forth, to establish relief of pressure in the usual manner. On the other hand, if the development of the pressure is extremely sudden so that a very violent expulsion of mercury takes place, the mercury expelled through the tube 36 will be projected beyond the inclined surface 41 on to the inclined surface 42 and from there the mercury will flow into the conduit 40t0 seal the latter and to leave the gas outlet 18 in free communication with the atmosphere through the outlet 24. In order to guard against the loss of mercury ejected through one or both of the outlets 36 and 40 and to insure its return into one or both of said openings, depending upon the various circumstances above set forth, I provide the guard 43 against which any mercury expelled with suflicient force to project it beyond the inclined surface 42 will impinge, it being understood that any other form of guard or means for stopping and returning the mercury expelled could be used, such as upwardly inclining the atmospheric nozzle or outlet- 24 with respect to the balance of the construction.

In Figure 3, I have shown a still further modification of the invention, in which an outlet 44 leads from the lower compartment 5 into the well 25 which is provided with the threaded cap or plug 27 which has the pendant sleeve 28 and which contains mercury 29. Another outlet 45 leads from the upper compartment 4 into the bottom of the vertical conduit 46 which leads through the horizontal conduit 47 into the atmospheric outlet 24. The operation of this construction is the same as that described in Figures 1 and 2, since the pressure in the compartment 5 tends to eject the mercury 29 from the well 25 into the bottom of the vertical conduit 46 to seal the conduit 45 leading to the upper compartment 4 and to establish communication between the compartment 5 and the atmospheric outlet 24 through the upper portion of the vertical conduit 46 and the horizontal conduit 47.

In all of the foregoing, it will be apparent that the principle is to seal the upper compartment to maintain the diaphragm 3 in an uppermost position and hence the valve 13 in its lowermost closing position and to establish communication between the compartment 4 or gas outlet 18 and the atmosphere to relieve the pressure. While in the drawing I have illustrated the invention in general terms, it is to be understood that the exact amount of mercury necessary to effect the proper seal and to maintain an outlet alternately in either of the compartments 4 or 5 is not shown to scale or in exact measurements. It is also to be understood that where an air tight joint is necessary, such as at the junction of the outlet 18 with the compartment 5 or the plug 2'? in connection with the well 25 or the threaded plug 8 in connection with the boss 7, the necemary equipment, such as gaskets, washers, and the like, will be employed. The junction of the limbs 33 and 34 is below the top of the limb 35 and below the tops of the conduits 36 and 40 so as to facilitate the transfer of the mercury, as will be apparent.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. An attachment for gas governor formed of a casing divided into upper and lower compartments and having a gas inlet leading into and a gas outlet leading from said lower compartment, comprising a well, a conduit adapted to lead from said gas outlet to said well, an air outlet adapted to lead from said upper compartment to said well, a vent, a branch outlet interconnecting said vent with said air outlet, and a sealing fluid in said well normally to prevent communication between said conduit and said air outlet, said sealing fluid being adapted to be ejected by excess pressure in said conduit from said well into said air outlet below said branch outlet, to establish communication between said conduit and said vent through said well, said air outlet and said branch outlet.

2. An attachment for gas governor formed of a casing divided into two compartments, comprising a pair of connected U-shaped conduits, conduits adapted to lead from said compartments to the free ends of said U-shaped conduits, and outlet passages leading from the bottoms of said U-shaped conduits into a common vent.

3. An attachment for gas governor formed of a casing divided into two compartments, comprising a pair of connected U-shaped conduits, passages adapted to lead from said compartments to the free ends of said U-shaped conduits, outlet conduits leading from the bottoms of said u-shaped conduits into a common vent and a sealing fluid in one of said U-shaped conduits normally to seal the corresponding passage from communication with said vent, said sealing fluid being adapted to be ejected by excess pressure in said corresponding passage from said U-shaped conduit to the other of said U-shaped conduits, to seal the other of said passages from communication with said vent.

4. An attachment for gas governor formed of a casing divided into two compartments, comprising a pair of connected U-shaped passages, a sealing fluid in the bottom of one of said U- shaped passages, conduits adapted to lead from said compartments to the free ends of said U- shaped passages, outlet conduits leading from the bottoms of said U-shaped passages into a common vent, said sealing fluid being adapted to be ejected from said U-shaped passage, and means in said common vent for returning the ejected sealing fluid into one or both of said U-shaped passages, depending on the degree of pressure causing the ejection of the fluid.

5. An attachment for gas governor formed of a casing divided into two compartments, comprising a pair of connected U-shaped passages, conduits adapted to lead from said compartments to the free ends of said U-shaped passages, outlet passages leading irom the bottoms of said U- shaped passages into a common vent, a sealing fluid in one of said U-shaped passages normally to seal the corresponding conduit from communication with said vent, said sealing fluid being adapted to be ejected by excess pressure in said corresponding conduit from said U-shaped passage to the other of said U-shaped passages, to seal the other of said conduits from communication with said vent and means in said common vent for returning the ejected sealing fluid into one or both of said U-shaped passages, depending on the degree of pressure causing the ejection of the fluid.

FREDERICK P. SMITH. 

